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The turtle is a water baby through and through. Every puddle, hose and drop of water has to be inspected, splashed in and even drank! Yet, for the past few months I couldn’t get him into the bath, not for love or money. Paddling pools were no problem. Baths? Baths were the work of the devil. The only thing that would work was for me to get in first and show him what “fun” it was. A lukewarm puddle of fun. I couldn’t even put in enough water to cover my toes. Awful. But he would get in eventually. And have a whale of a time, while I sat there shivering, wondering why he wouldn’t get in himself.

Well, we have turned a corner. He climbed into the bath himself this morning and stayed in there for half an hour. He would still be in there, blowing bubbles and drinking the bathwater if Mammy hadn’t let the water out. Watching a small child splish and splash around in the bath is almost as good as being a small child yourself, splishing and splashing like a little maniac. Seeing has he has been sick today was his first bath in what seems like weeks and weeks and weeks, but what can only have been about ten days. And he did have a “bath” in the sink in the interim – his hair was so matted I had to cut some! Yes, curly hair is cute, but matted it’s just yuck.

Obviously baths in the sink are the best kind, because you get to play with all kinds of mad things that Mammy has left lying around in arm’s reach. Silly Mammy.

It’ll do in a pinch, but I’m glad, oh so glad, he’s willing to clamber into the bath again. Without me.